Criminal offences in which firearms such as guns are used cast a dark shadow over nations where the possession and use of weapons are allowed (e.g. United States). In gun-used crimes, it is difficult to identify criminal(s), because the gun is gone with the criminal(s). There is a method of identifying the firearm used in a criminal offence based on a mark impressed on a projectile after shooting (hereafter optionally called a “striated mark”). This method, recently, has been indispensable for investigations of gun-used crimes.
The striated mark refers to a mark impressed on projectiles, more specifically, bullets shot from a firearm. An identical striated mark is impressed on the bullets shot from the firearm. Accordingly, investigation of the striated mark allows identification of the firearm used in a criminal offence, and this method is believed to prevent gun-used crimes. However, few bullets which are treated as evidence in gun-used incidents are submitted intact, or most bullets submitted are badly distorted, wiped and/or fragmented. Thus, the striated marks are still not almighty for identifying bullets (cf. non-patent publication 1).
In order to solve this problem, or in other words, clear the limitation presented by the method of identifying the used firearm by means of the striated mark, and prevent gun-used crimes, some predecessors reached and disclosed the idea of placing an identification code or codes in advance onto or into a bullet or an ammunition.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,650,908 issued to Ramsey discloses an ammunition marking system that includes forming a single identification code on a rear face of a bullet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,816 issued to Roxby discloses an identifiable bullet in which an identification member with an identification code is embedded so that the identification code will remain legible following cartridge discharge, bullet impact and post firing environments.
WO 2005/024337 invented by Mace discloses an identifiable ammunition wherein a single identification code is placed onto plural identification surfaces.
Now there must be remembered one important premise for enabling us to identify the bullet or ammunition by use of the above-mentioned identifiable bullets or ammunitions.
The premise is that the identifiable bullet exists only one in this world just like a fingerprint does.
The identifiable bullet in which the one kind of identification code or codes, referred to in the above-mentioned bullets, is placed explicitly or identifiable by eyesight cannot avoid the problem of duplication (forgery) by a third party.
Duplication mentioned here means, to a lesser extent, producing an identical bullet to the identifiable bullet presented to a forger, or rather, to much extent, that a duplicator arbitrarily produces an identifiable bullet with its identification code or codes which becomes accidentally identical to an identification code of an identifiable bullet whose owner is irrelevant to the duplicator.
Thus, the objective of the present invention is to provide an identifiable bullet which is unduplicatable by a third party.
Non-patent publication 1                Bullet Identification (Internet homepage distributed by FirearmsID.com.)        